For 21 years, Justin Verlander made the mound his home and gave everything he had to baseball. But when the final pitch of his legendary career was over, it wasn’t the roar of the crowd or another milestone that broke him. It was his daughter running toward him.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The veteran pitcher’s final game on Saturday became a family affair as wife Kate Upton, 7-year-old daughter Genevieve, and 1-year-old son Bellamy watched him take the mound one last time. And when Genevieve ran onto the field for a final send-off, Verlander could no longer hold back his tears. After spending more than two decades in baseball, the 43-year-old finally had a different kind of send-off, the kind that reminded him where he was going after baseball.
And after the emotional farewell, Verlander stayed as honest as ever about what the moment meant to him.
“The way it went, with Genevieve running out, I mean, I had no clue [it was going to happen],” Fox Sports: MLB quoted Verlander. “I was totally blindsided, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. That was amazing. I was sobbing, and I had to tell her, just to make sure she understood, I was happy. She’s never seen me cry like that.”
“I’ve been a baseball player since I was five years old. I gave everything for this. I left home. She’s in school, and I wasn’t there. There’s just a level of commitment it takes to be great at something, you know? And I hope she understands. She means the world to me. My family means the world to me. And I’m just so happy that I get the opportunity to make up for lost time.”
Justin Verlander earlier announced that Saturday will be his last career start, and hence Comerica Park was packed. Verlander was given the podium before the game to share his words. Everything went as planned, but what was not planned was that the Tigers manager, A.J. Hinch, would send his daughter to pull Verlander out for one last time.
Days before the final game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hinch reached out to Justin Verlander’s wife, Kate Upton, to brainstorm a perfect, unscripted way to send off the future Hall of Famer. Hinch noted that over the final years of Verlander’s career, much of their personal conversations centered around Verlander’s immense pride in being a father. Letting his daughter act as the “manager” to pull him from his final Major League start symbolized his upcoming focus on family life.
Hence, in the top of the sixth inning, after Verlander secured the first out on a foul pop-up, Hinch walked out of the dugout, detoured toward the stands, and signaled to Genevieve to run out.
It was a picture-perfect moment when the camera captured Genevieve running down to the mound amid the fans’ standing ovation.
After the game, Verlander admitted that he missed his family during his 21-year MLB career. Even during his daughter’s first day of school, he couldn’t be present. And now that his duty at the mound comes to an end, his family time starts here. And what could be the best start than his daughter taking him out of the mound for the final time?
Verlander won it all in his 21-year MLB career. 3× Cy Young Award Winner, 2x World Series winner, and 10x All-Star selection, he won it all. The only regret may be not winning anything with the Tigers. “Many. I’m sorry I couldn’t win a World Series here. After 21 years, you can’t expect everything to be perfect,” Verlander added.
The Tigers are no longer in Playoff contention, and hence, the biggest moment for the Tigers fans would have been Verlander’s farewell. As that’s been done in the most dramatic way possible, it’s time for the franchise to get its roster set for the next season.